The nights may be drawing in and the weather may be returning to its natural state - cold and wet - but the NFL is back! Late nights and endless highlights programmes are on the horizon and the fantasy football teams are all set for Week 1.
As the 2015 season prepares to get underway with the Steelers taking on February's Super Bowl champs the Patriots, with Tom Brady back without ever having missed a game under his 'suspension', I take a look at things from a betting point of view. There are some real value bets in the pre-season markets and it's best to take advantage of them now.
Best bet:
Drew Brees - Most Passing Yards (Regular Season) - 17/2 with Paddy Power
This is an absolute steal for the New Orleans Saints veteran. As low as 5/1 with Coral, you can see the immediate value in the price. Brees has had the most passing yards in the league in three of his last four seasons, whilst the blip in 2013 saw him finish 2nd behind an exceptional Peyton Manning - just 300 yards shy. A huge price for a big time player, and the lack of WRs at Orleans don't worry me. Talk of veteran Hakeem Nicks joining the roster will be a bonus and Brees will have enough passing attempts in the Saints offence to make big numbers this year.
Next best:
Demaryius Thomas - Most Receiving Yards (Regular Season) - 10/1 with Ladbrokes
An absolute athlete, Thomas racked up 1,619 yards last season, the 15th best record in a single NFL season and not far behind Antonio Brown of the Steelers. Brown is an obvious threat, as is the likes of Calvin Johnson, but Thomas also made big numbers in 2012 and 2013 and seems to only be improving with age. An EW placing of top three should be enough to cover you if the Broncos wide out can't reach top spot.
Longshot:
Marcus Mariota - Offensive Rookie of the Year - 10/1 with numerous bookies
Tyler Lockett - Offensive Rookie of the Year - 33/1 with several bookies
These two look real talents if the pre-season is a fair indication. Both have attracted attention in the build up to the season and Mariota is expected to lead a much improved Titans team who have struggled in recent years, including a 2-14 record last season. Marietta won the Heisman Trophy in 2014 and is an excellent price to be Rookie of the Year at 10/1.
Meanwhile, Lockett has already made three explosive return plays in his short time with the Seattle Seahawks and could be a huge impact player for the NFC champions. He should get some serious involvement in both special teams and the offense, who have been known to make big time plays since the arrival of Russell Wilson at QB. Expect Lockett to out play his price of 33/1 this season!
In with a chance:
DeMarco Murray - Most Rushing Yards (Regular Season) - 10/1 with Ladbrokes
Like with Brees, Murray is a huge price at 10/1 having smashed defenses across the league in 2014. He notched up 1,845 yards last season, the 17th best season of all-time and the 3rd best from the current crop of players in the NFL (behind Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson). He's since moved from the Cowboys to the Eagles but will still get a large chunk of plays with Sam Bradford getting used to life at the Eagles after his off-season move from the Rams. Eagles have arguably upgraded from LeSean McCoy (even if Shady disagrees) and will be looking to use their biggest weapon as much as possible to aid their play-off hopes.
I wish you all the best with any bets you decide to place and please drop me a message with anything you decide to back (or oppose). Enjoy the season, it should be great.
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